Flesh and Blood
by Chaunceytron
Summary: Devil in Plain Sight series part 5: Sam and Dean are on the trail of mysterious slayings when they get a call from Syd about a potential wendigo. As they set off on their mission, Lucifer works on a plan to capture Syd.
1. Chapter 1

This place was an absolute bloodbath. Bodies lay around the floor, and heads had rolled from their torsos. Dean sighed as he looked around and noticed Sam talking with forensics. This was the third scene like this that they'd been to, and Dean was starting to get annoyed. Some vampire hunter was beating them to every kill. If Dean wasn't so annoyed at driving all this way for nothing, he'd actually be kind of impressed.

Sam gestured to Dean, and they started to walk back to the car. Sam's phone rang as they got into the Impala, and Dean noticed that it was Syd's number. Sam quickly answered it and put the phone on speaker.

"Hey, Syd. What's up?" Sam asked.

"Umm… remember how you asked me to research anything weird going on in the area in the last few days?" Syd answered hesitantly.

"You found something?" Dean asked although he could tell that she had by the sound of her voice.

"Yeah… so I looked into that and decided to cross-examine it with the other scenes, and I found… well, I found something," Syd replied as though hesitant to share her newfound information.

"What is it, Syd?" Dean responded impatiently.

"Robert Pattinson, the Twilight guy, yeah… he was in town at each of those spots. It's kind of a big thing online."

"Where online?" Dean asked critically.

Syd went silent, and Dean knew the answer right away.

"Reddit?! Didn't I tell you to stay off there? It's nothing but creepy campfire stories to scare children," Dean said.

"That's not my only source of information, Dean," Syd snapped back. "I double checked with some 'celebrity spotters' websites. There's a picture of the 'R-Patz' leaving a bar about a half-mile away from the last monster murder scene."

Dean looked to Sam, and Sam shrugged. Sam clearly thought that it was possible. After all they had heard of stranger things happening.

"So he was spotted in the other locations as well?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Just around town though. Not as close," Syd replied. "And I found something else about thirty miles away from where you guys are now. It's not a vamp though."

"What is it?" Dean asked, trying and failing to hold back his excitement.

"Well, a couple of hikers went missing in Michigan," Syd answered a bit tentatively. "Their friends freaked out and left camp to report their disappearance to the police."

"I hate to disappoint you, Syd, but it's not exactly strange for hikers or camping to go missing. There's a lot more out there than monsters, like serial killers… or bears," Dean replied solemnly. He'd been looking forward to a fight. Sam met Dean's stare; Sam seemed to think otherwise.

"What else, Syd? You wouldn't tell us if you didn't have something more."

"Umm… well… my uncle actually disappeared around that area. I don't remember it that well, but we were on a family trip."

"How long ago was it?" Dean asked and perked back up.

"About 19… 20 years ago. And it wasn't just him. Other people went missing around the same time. The police figured that there was someone out in the woods, but they never caught anyone. They didn't even find… anything."

Dean could tell that Syd had stopped herself from saying 'their bodies.' It clearly had affected her, and he wanted to get to the bottom of it.

"I'm really sorry to hear that, Syd," Sam answered. "We'll at least check it out. Is there… any other information you can give us?"

"Yeah. My family doesn't really like to talk about it much, but I heard my grandma telling one of my aunts about it. Apparently he had asked the other adults about me before he went missing. He'd said that he could hear a child crying in the woods, and he was going to check it out. Uncle Ted was an officer and had a gun, so no one really thought twice about it until he didn't come back. No gunfire. No screams. Nothing, just gone."

Dean gave Sam a meaningful look. It sounded like a wendigo to him. Wendigos could copy a voice, and it must have heard hers and lured her uncle out into the woods.

"Did the police have any leads? Any weird sightings?" Sam asked.

"Well, there was some urban legend going around at the time about a serial killer using a recorder with sounds of a baby crying, so I guess the police went with that. I can ask my grandma, but I don't really remember anything coming of it."

"That'd be great if you could," Sam assured her, but Dean could tell that he was lying. There wasn't really any more information that they needed at this point. They'd go investigate the area and ask the friends if they saw or heard anything out of the ordinary, then they'd work from there. Sam was likely just trying to get her to call her family at this point.

"And afterwards you need to focus on your studies. James said that you nearly set one of the tables on fire yesterday," Dean ordered with a grin.

"I'd like to see you light a candle with your mind, Dean, and see how well you do… James says we're going to use a metal table next time."

Dean laughed, and Sam said goodbye and hung up the phone. James Frampton was one of the friendly witches that they knew. In fact, he was the only friendly witch that they knew. After Syd had told Sam and Dean about her run-in with Daniel, they decided that she should at least be trained, and everyone agreed that it shouldn't be Crowley or Rowena.

"So… we off to kill the wendigo?" Sam asked.

Dean started the Impala and pulled onto the main road. At least he would get to kill something for his trouble.


	2. Chapter 2

Syd hung up the phone with a sigh and wondered if she should call her grandma now. It was kind of early, and Syd doubted that she'd even pick up the phone. James had woken up and was setting up some kind of lesson in the kitchen. Metal clanging from the kitchen told Syd that he'd actually found a suitable table, and Syd sighed. She had actually hoped that it would take longer for him to get the table.

Syd didn't really like the lessons although she agreed that they were necessary. The fire magic ones were causing her some intense anxiety, but maybe having a nonflammable table would calm her down. Syd was much better at moving things, and in fact she wished that he would teach her some healing spells. Sam and Dean must have talked to him about defensive magic because that was really most of what she'd learned. Portia entered the library in dog form before rapidly morphing into a human. Syd really wished Portia would stop doing that; the sudden transformations actually made Syd feel a little unnerved.

"We've prepared another lesson for you," Portia informed Syd before quickly walking into the kitchen.

Portia clearly assumed that Syd would follow her, and that annoyed Syd a little. Syd wondered what would happen if she just stayed in the library. James would probably just come out and ask her politely to attend his next lesson, and Syd didn't like making him feel more uncomfortable than he already did. He'd moved into the bunker to teach her how to control her powers on Sam and Dean's recommendation, but there was some weird tension between them. Syd couldn't quite place what that was about.

Sean had left to find a kelpie whom might be able to help them find the leprechaun, so Syd was really on her own with these strangers. James was nice, and Portia wasn't mean. But both of them seemed to be trying to keep Syd at an arm's length. Perhaps they had heard about the grace and thought that she might become Lucifer's pet. Syd sighed again and left her tea on the table.

Walking into the kitchen, she saw that James had not just one candle but multiple on the table. Syd stared at James for an explanation. If she had almost set the place on fire trying to light one, why, oh WHY, would he want to add more to that problem?

"Okay, just give me the benefit of the doubt for a few moments, and try to light the blue candle," James said quickly.

Syd guessed that this was some kind of accuracy exercise, but shouldn't she first learn how to successfully light one before they try to play with literal fire? She decided to just try it and hope nothing bad happened. Syd focused on the blue candle and shut her eyes. She could feel the magic flowing within her. Still concentrating on the candle, Syd opened her eyes and watched in amazement as it lit up. Then about five of the others around it also ignited, and she looked at James. He seemed to be deep in thought, and Portia was staring at the candles.

"What? Am I doing that badly?" Syd asked. This was one of the main reasons that Syd didn't like being alone with James and Portia. They had some kind of telepathic link and often used it to discuss things before discussing it directly with Syd.

"Not badly," James tried to assure her somewhat timidly as he put out the flames. "Just… I think you're using too much power. Try it again, but focus on the yellow this time."

The yellow candle was closer to Syd, and the other candles were farther away. Syd did as he said and concentrated on the yellow candle, but this time she tried to use less magic. As she opened her eyes, the yellow candle lit up, and only two of the others had as well. Syd smiled until she noticed the scorch mark on the yellow candle. As she turned to James, she noticed with relief that James actually seemed more encouraged.

James gave her a small, sheepish smile before explaining, "You seem to be somewhat… hesitant about working with magic, so I wanted to make sure that it wasn't you just sabotaging the tests. The good news is that you aren't… at least not on purpose. The bad news is… that your powers have a more… um, 'destructive' property to them."

"That doesn't sound particularly good," Syd replied slowly.

"It means that we're now limited in what we can safely teach you," Portia clarified. "James, unlike you, isn't a natural witch, so what he can teach you is already limited. You seem to already have the hang of telekinesis, but your level of magic may be too… unpredictable for us to help you."

"So… no more lessons?" Syd asked actually feeling relieved.

"Well, there's still more we can teach you, but you're going to need a natural witch to complete your training. It's going to be hard to find one of them as they're pretty rare, especially finding one that's willing to work with the Winchesters. I'll ask around though. Most of the witch community… doesn't really trust me, but I do have a couple friends left," James assured her after seeing the look of worry on her face.

"So… no more lessons for today?" Syd asked sheepishly.

"We still have more warding spells to teach you," James informed her with an apologetic smile. "Working on spells with structure seems to be safe for you. You're especially good with Enochian."

"Well, having an actual angel teaching me helps," Syd admitted, and James' eyebrows shot up.

"Oh, yes, I heard about him… Castiel, right? Is he here?"

"Not at the moment. I heard him talking with Sam and Dean the other day. Apparently the angels have decided that caging Lucifer is worth my life, so they want to use me in some kind of spell. Cas is trying to reason with them."

James and Portia shared another one of their looks, and Syd tried to hide her irritation.

"Is there… anyway that we can help?" Portia asked.

"Do you know anything about angelic grace or how to remove it?"

They shared another look, which told Syd that they knew about her 'condition', and James answered, "No, I don't. Actually, why don't we take a break for today, and I'll clean this up. Just focus on your Enochian for today."

"Aye, aye," Syd said and left the kitchen before they could say anything else. She now had a splitting headache and went to lie in her bed. Holly snuggled up beside her, and they took a quick nap.


	3. Chapter 3

Sean carefully walked along the edge of the lake. He didn't think that the kelpie would pull him in, but he didn't want to test the waters. A form shifted from under the water and came closer to Sean as he slowed down.

"Why have you come here, young one?" A deep voice boomed from underneath the surface of the Loch Ness.

"I need help in assisting King Oberon, and I humbly ask of your assistance," Sean replied and gave a deep bow to the creature.

The dark mass in the water shifted and became smaller as Sean awaited a reply. It seemed to almost completely disappear before it breached the surface. The kelpie had taken the form of a small otter and quietly stared at him.

"You… are the Leanansidhe's boy, aren't you?" The kelpie's deep voice boomed from the tiny otter.

"Yes, I am," Sean answered politely. Even in the form of an otter, Sean could tell that the kelpie was formidable. Its magic seemed to seep out of every pore. The humans called the Kelpie by the name of the "Loch Ness monster," and their belief and reverence must be how the fairy had been able to stay this powerful in the human world for as long as it had.

"Ah. How is she then? I haven't heard much of our world, and I much prefer my isolation to dealing with those despicable red caps and the like," the kelpie's tone was polite, friendly even. "I can tell that she's likely in a spot of trouble. After all, why else would her child be working for the likes of that 'king'?" At the mention of Oberon's title, its voice had become mocking.

"Yes, she used a faerie object in the human world, and it came under the power of a human. The Tribunal promised me that if I can get back the spear she'll be freed."

The kelpie's eyes now held a touch of sadness, and it replied warily, "Don't believe everything that they tell you, boy. Even if you succeed in retrieving the spear, getting your mother out of their grasp will likely still be a struggle."

"Then I will fight," Sean replied firmly, and the kelpie looked impressed.

"I believe you will, and you may even succeed. I will find the spear for you."

"You know how to find it?"

"Child, from the moment it entered this land I felt its presence," the kelpie closed it eyes in concentration. "The thief threw it into the ocean. It is deep within the water's depths."

Sean looked at the kelpie and asked, "Why would he do that? Salt burns our kind. Was he not planning on using it?"

"I doubt it. I rather think that he took it to try to lure Oberon here, and when Oberon sent you, he tossed it knowing it would be all but impossible for you to retrieve. However, for me it will simply be an adventure. It has been a long time since I left my new home, but I won't be gone for long. I will bring it here and send for you," the kelpie said as its eyes lit up with excitement. "I only ask for a small thing in repayment."

"And what would that be?" Sean asked and felt his stomach drop.

"I have been at this lake for a long time, and I have seen many things: gods, monsters, and even demons. I have heard of the human with the angelic grace. Bring her here when you come for the spear. I wish her no harm. I merely want to see what all of the fuss is about. Even the monsters are afraid of what this means. A piece of Lucifer embedded in a human child."

"She's not really a child," Sean muttered and noticed the kelpie's look of amusement.

"I can protect her while she is here, boy. Do not forget that I was once a king in our world. Angels do not scare me."

"Yes. I know. Thank you, and I am sure that my mother will be incredibly grateful," Sean responded appreciatively. He now wondered about how he would get Syd's agreement in coming to the Loch Ness let alone the Winchesters'.

"Yes, and might I ask, who was clever enough to steal one of our kind's most precious relics?"

"A disgraced leprechaun who assisted the Tribunal. He apparently goes by the name of Wayne in the human world," Sean responded.

"No, I know of whom you speak, and he is clever but not that clever. Be very wary of the Tribunal. They are up to something, and the last time it didn't end so well for many of us."

Sean nodded and decided to ask the kelpie one last question. "Do you know why the leprechaun would have stolen human firstborn sons? I don't think that it has anything to do with the spear. I'm just asking for a friend."

The kelpie gave him a look of amusement before replying, "It has more to do with it than you think. Our land is drifting slowly away from this world, Sean. As the humans rely more and more on iron, it drives us away. I suspect that someone was using those boys to try to make an anchor from our world to the human one."

"But that was why the leprechaun was cast off. Why wouldn't the Tribunal support his efforts or have stopped him from doing it in the first place?"

"Good questions and the right ones. Unfortunately I can't answer them with certainly, but I believe it's safe to say that not every fairy of the Tribunal is in agreement. Best of luck, young one, and remember: be wary."

The kelpie disappeared into the depths, leaving Sean with more questions than answers.


	4. Chapter 4

The cool crisp air made Sam feel at ease as he got out of the Impala. Sam and Dean had gotten in contact with the friends of the hikers whom went missing and had driven out to the motel to meet them for questioning. As Dean got out of the car, Sam looked around the parking lot. There weren't many cars here, and it might be a good idea to get a room for recovery after they fought the wendigo. Sam and Dean had fought wendigos before, and they were not only strong and fast but smart as well. Odds were that Sam and Dean would at least have a few more bruises by the end of this hunt. Having a hotel room waiting for them might be a good idea.

Dean also glanced around and gave Sam a look; he clearly had the same idea. Quickly checking into the motel, Dean grabbed the room key, and they headed towards the hikers' room. Sam knocked on the There was no movement inside, and Sam was worried that something may have happened to them before the door opened. A small woman opened the door warily and looked them up and down.

"Hello, I'm Agent Osborne, and this is Agent Smith," Dean quickly said trying to ease the tension. "We spoke to a Benjamin Alben on the phone. I'm sorry. We didn't get your name, Miss…?"

"Lin. I'm Aubrey Lin," Aubrey replied as she turned and motioned for them to follow her into the room and closed the door behind them.

Sam suddenly realized where he knew that name. They had worked a case a while back with a mysterious lizard man and an accidental death, and she had been the last person to see the victim. They had never gotten to interview her due to circumstances, so hopefully their cover as agents wasn't blown.

"Ben, they're here!" Aubrey shouted and banged on the bathroom door.

A tall man about the size of Sam soon emerged from the bathroom, wiping shaving cream from his face. As he met Sam's eyes, Sam could see recognition on his face.

"Ah, the 'agents.' Don't worry, guys," he said impishly at Sam and Dean's surprised faces. "I just remember you from the campus. You're the guys that Nadir told me about."

"What?! Ben! When?" Aubrey asked angrily and shot Sam and Dean a distrustful glare.

"At ease, Aubrey," Ben replied calmly. "Remember when Nadir asked us a little while ago if we'd heard anything about May and you stomped off in a huff? I stayed and asked him why he was interested. He told me that the 'agents' asking for you on campus were really hunters, and I'm actually really happy that you showed up and not real agents."

"Why?" Dean asked now on edge.

"Because 'real agents' wouldn't believe what happened to us, but you probably know more about what we fought than we do," Ben replied still calm and shared at look with Aubrey.

"What happened to your friends? You told police that they suddenly disappeared."

"They kind of… did disappear. We heard rustling in the trees and didn't think anything of it. Not long after we couldn't find them, but we heard their voices. We thought that they were trying to play a prank on us, so we followed behind them as quietly as we could. I don't think that it heard us coming," Ben stopped talking for a second as though reliving the moment.

"It was a grotesque… monster!" Aubrey added. "It looked almost human but big and just skin and bone. Its eyes…!" Aubrey stopped and shivered. "You could just tell that it wasn't a person."

Sam shared a glance with Dean. That sounded like a wendigo for sure, but the only question was how these two were alive.

"What happened next? Were you able to sneak away?" Sam asked tentatively, and Aubrey scoffed.

"No, it saw us," Ben continued. "And I just charged it. That seemed to take it off guard for a bit, and although I can't change forms anymore, I still have a little bit of strength left. Enough to send it flying into the trees. After that we took off running for camp, and Aubrey got ahold of some of our fireworks. We had brought some sparklers with us while we camped."

"And when it attacked us, I lit them up right in its face," Aubrey said smugly. "Bet it never saw that coming."

"After that it ran away into the forest, but then another one appeared."

"How do you know it wasn't the same one?" Sam asked alarmed. Wendigo were usually solitary creatures, and he prayed that they were just confused.

"Because the one I hit with the sparklers had a tattoo and still looked at least kind of human. The other one was bigger and faster," Aubrey explained.

"We had a campfire started before we left. I saw what the sparklers did to the other one and used the fire to keep the bigger one at bay. We made it to the car and hit the gas. We figured that Mike and Claire were either dead or hiding, so we went to the police."

"Fat lot of help that was," Aubrey snapped as she threw the last of her luggage in a bag.

"So what was it?" Ben asked; his eyes were pleading with Sam and Dean as though asking him if he did the right thing.

"It's called a wendigo, and you were smart to get out of there when you did," Dean assured him gruffly. "Otherwise more people would have probably gone missing before anyone noticed, and we wouldn't be here."

"Oh, so you saw my story on Reddit?" Ben asked.

Dean's eyes narrowed, and Sam had to hide a smile. Point one to Syd, Sam thought to himself.

"Someone did," Dean responded.

"Are they dead?" Aubrey asked blatantly. She stared at Sam and Dean waiting for an answer, but her eyes betrayed no emotion.

"Maybe," Sam said. "There's a small chance that they might still be alive. Wendigo try to keep… their food fresh for as long as possible."

Aubrey nodded, pulled out a few sparklers from her bag, and handed them to Dean.

"We'll stay in town then," Ben said. "That way they have a ride back if… yeah." Ben scratched the back of his neck and stopped.

"You should probably leave. The wendigos may come after you again," Sam explained.

Aubrey said nothing but left the room. She came back in with a grill lighter and hairspray.

"Give us your number, and we'll give you a call if they do. And if they do, they'll be sorry," Aubrey said with a devilish grin.


	5. Chapter 5

Dean and Sam decided to take a quick look around the area where the kids went missing. They didn't expect the wendigos to attack them during the day, but they carried along ammunition just in case. Sam had a crossbow with silver tipped arrows, and Dean had a rifle and a flare gun. The rifle likely wouldn't harm the wendigos, but it made Dean feel more in control of the situation. One wendigo was hard enough; two was downright deadly. If there weren't lives on the line, even Dean would wait until they could get Cas to join them.

Sam had a map in his hand and was looking around the area. Syd had texted him a picture of the campsite where her uncle had disappeared. She had marked the area in yellow where they were camping and in red where he had disappeared. Sam had found a map at a gas station and translated it over, so they didn't have to worry about the cell phone battery and could get a better grasp of the area. Dean briefly wondered how Syd was holding up. There was a lot on her plate at the moment. Dean couldn't really help her with all of that, but he could solve this case. Even the angels had turned against her, although that wasn't really surprising to Dean. They had been just as willing for Sam and Dean to become vessels to the two beings that would destroy the world.

Sam motioned to Dean, and Dean walked over. There was an abandoned mine. Bingo. That was likely where the wendigo were hiding. Sam marked it on the map and set up a bear trap near one of the bushes out of sight of the cave entrance. Wendigos preferred to hunt at night, when their speed and ferocity gave them the best advantage, but they could also be active during the day. Dean quickly took out a small shovel and started to carve Anasazi symbols into the ground in a circle, so that if things went wrong they at least had a space to go to for cover. The search party for the hikers had already been through this area, and it was a small one at that. Mostly just a few officers and some dogs but they found nothing. It was likely that the wendigo had found a way to lure the dogs away from their mine.

Sam and Dean quickly walked back out of the forest and got into the car to discuss their game plan.

"So we should probably wait until about sunset and see if we can lure the wendigos out of the mine first," Sam spoke in a low voice.

"And if things get too hairy, we can either run for the circle or the car," Dean continued and took a deep breath.

"And try not to step in the trap. Stay out of the bushes," Sam warned Dean.

Dean grunted in approval and looked at the sun. It was about dinner time now, so they had a few more hours before they had to risk their lives for the greater good. Food sounded good, but it could also slow down his reaction time. He decided not to risk it.

"Hey, so how do you think Frampton is doing with Syd?" Dean asked trying to shift the mood.

"Um… pretty good, I guess. I saw Syd throw a table across the room the other day, but that could have been part of the training process."

"Yeah. He said that she's really good at that, so I probably should try not to piss her off in the future," Dean joked.

"Good luck to you with that," Sam laughed back. "So have you heard from Cas?"

"Not a peep," Dean grunted. "But he's probably trying to argue with the other angels, and we both know how they can be."

"Yeah, well, they're probably scared. This is all new to everyone, and they don't know Syd like we do. Hopefully, Cas can talk some sense into them."

Dean nodded in agreement, but he didn't quite know how he felt about that. Weird things usually happened to them, so it wasn't like Syd's soul being a conduit for Lucifer's grace was that far out of bounds. But it was still frustrating for them to have no idea how to help.

"And Syd said that Sean left to go meet with some kelpie about the spear. Hopefully he can find it," Sam continued as though deep in thought.

"Yeah, we have enough problems without someone getting ahold of a magic spear," Dean agreed.

"Agreed," Sam laughed again before getting quiet. "I'm still having trouble taking in the fact that Lucifer said that he likes Syd."

"He's probably just trying to creep her out," Dean retorted. "You don't really think Lucifer's a prime source of information do you?"

"No, but I've been thinking about it. It's the only thing that explains his deal with Daniel. Dean, he agreed to not even use his grace in exchange for Syd."

"As far as we know," Dean scoffed. "He probably just doesn't want us to have his grace. Besides what does it matter even if he does have a weird thing for Syd?"

"It matters because if he does then separating Lucifer's grace from Syd's soul won't end things. He'll still try to hunt her down."

"Then we'll find a way to stop him then. Like we always do," Dean assured Sam, although he didn't quite believe himself. Lucifer wasn't known for accepting no as an answer, and dealing with him would be its own problem. But at least the prospect of facing down two wendigos seemed just a little more preferable at the moment.


	6. Chapter 6

"So if you use this ward, it'll block everything from outside it's perimeter without drawing away too much magic," James said as Syd willed herself to just absorb the information.

The Enochian wasn't hard for her to read anymore, and in fact it almost seemed to whisper to her as she read it. But the different symbols and ingredients for the spells were starting to cause her to have another headache. James had wanted for her to just review Enochian for the rest of the day, but she just felt a sudden urgency to do something, anything. So she had pestered him into teaching her warding spells.

A phone rang from the kitchen, and James excused himself to answer it. Syd stared at the page for a few minutes before leaning back in her chair and putting the book over her eyes.

"What are you doing?" Portia's voice came from the hallway.

"I'm trying a new learning method called diffusion," Syd joked and set the book back down on the table; Portia's eyes had narrowed in confusion. "It's a joke. Diffusion occurs in cells when there's more… stuff outside the cell than in it. It equalizes it, I guess."

"Ah, so you are trying to get the information to permeate your brain," Portia said with a small smile.

"Exactly! Not working out very well though, I'll admit."

Portia laughed a little, and James walked back into the room with his phone. He looked tired but a little relieved. Portia's face grew serious in return. Syd sat back and watched the two of them. She couldn't mentally hear what they were saying, but she could see what their expressions could tell her. After a few moments of mental back and forth, they noticed Syd passively watching them while drinking tea.

James cleared his throat and explained, "That was one of my contacts. Apparently there are two witches willing to teach you, Maggie and Don Stark. They say that they've met Sam and Dean before, and they're willing to train you. I'll have to speak to the Winchesters first, but it looks promising."

Syd watched Portia closely. Portia clearly didn't like or trust these people, but James had at least talked her into agreeing with him. These Starks might be the best chance Syd had at keeping her powers under control. Syd nodded to James, and he sat back down at the table in front of Syd.

"So they're natural witches?" Syd asked curious about her possible new mentors.

"Well, I don't know if they both are, but they're both extremely powerful witches. Don was really the one who agreed. Apparently Maggie isn't too fond of the Winchesters," James stopped when he saw the apprehensive look on Syd's face. "But she agreed to assist in the training."

"Well, that's… good. I guess," Syd said uncertainly. She didn't really like the idea of being taught by someone who disliked Sam and Dean, but there really weren't that many options for her. At least this Maggie Stark agreed to assist, although Syd reasoned that could just be a way to keep an eye on her.

"And Don thought of a pretty ingenious way to teach you without him having to live in the bunker," James said. "We can set up a spell that uses mirrors to create a gateway between his house and here. That way you can still live here but use the gateway to get to his house for lessons."

"But his place probably isn't warded as well as the bunker is it?" Syd asked.

"Probably not, but I've never seen a place with this much magical protection. Anyway, we'll work on that when we get to it. We still need to get Sam and Dean's thoughts on this. Now we should probably end lessons for today, but we'll resume this tomorrow."

Syd nodded, and James left the library. Portia remained in the doorway. After watching James leave, Portia walked up to the table. She was quiet for a few moments as though struggling to find the words to say.

"Maggie isn't a bad person. I don't know her personally, but I do know that she has a reputation for being not only a very good witch but a decent person on occasion. She won't do anything to you while she's your teacher; I know that for certain… unless you sleep with her husband. I've heard rumors, and I'd deeply recommend not doing that."

Syd laughed a little and replied, "That's not going to be a problem. I have much bigger things to worry about at the moment, so sleeping around isn't really a priority for me. Especially since if he did hit on me, all I'd have to tell him is that Lucifer has a thing for me, and he'd probably run for his life."

"That would be the smart move to make, but you know… love is an important thing. Don't live your life according to someone else's rules. You'll never find happiness that way," Portia said with a small sad smile on her face.

Syd nodded, and Portia left the room to follow James. Portia's advice seemed to be taken from personal experiences, which Syd hadn't expected of Portia. Syd didn't know much about James or Portia, but she did know that they were on the run from something. Ordinarily that would ring an alarm with Syd, but Sam and Dean seemed to trust them at least. Sam and Dean weren't very comfortable around James and Portia, but they did respect them. Syd worried about whether that was because James was a witch because Syd was a witch too. What if Sam and Dean started feeling that awkward around her? That would hurt, especially if Dean treated her that way. If that happened, she'd probably just leave the bunker. There'd be no point in hiding from Lucifer if her hell was here.


	7. Chapter 7

Lucifer sighed as he dismissed the demons. None of them had found out how to repair the fairy mirror. The best advice they seemed capable of giving was that Crowley would be the most likely to know, but as the mirror wasn't repaired yet, it was unlikely that Crowley knew how to fix it. Although Lucifer didn't truly care about getting his grace back at the moment, he had figured that finding a way to repair the mirror would at the very least get Syd's attention. The leprechaun had seemed to know how to fix it, but Lucifer hadn't been able to find him despite the leprechaun wanting information on the Winchesters' movements from Lucifer. Irritated that he may need the leprechaun's help after all, Lucifer decided to later tell his demons to spread the word that he was looking for this 'Wayne' the leprechaun.

Being able to see into the Winchesters' hideout was incredibly convenient but also incredibly frustrating. He could see Syd and on the rare occasion hear her; she was so tantalizingly close and yet so agonizingly far away. At least in her dreams he could touch her, but he was still no closer to actually attaining her. Watching the fairy boy had been entertaining at least. At first Lucifer had worried that this 'Sean' could be dangerous to his plans, but after watching Sean trail after Syd like a lost puppy, he'd decided that the fairy wasn't a threat at the moment. In fact, Sean had left the bunker the other day, so Lucifer hadn't bothered to check it since.

Deciding that he should at least check up on what the Winchesters were doing, Lucifer walked over to the mirror in the throne room. The mirror's surface shifted to view the bunker's library. Syd was usually in the library or her room, and the library was empty. Her room was empty except for a cat sleeping on the bed. Had that witch done something with her? The witch and his familiar didn't interact with Syd much outside of lessons, so Lucifer had never really given them a second thought. Checking Sean's room, he finally found her in the doorway of Sean's room. Perhaps this fairy boy was going to be more of a problem than he thought.

"So the kelpie can get it? Wow, why didn't you contact the kelpie earlier?" Syd asked.

"Well, the kelpie isn't particularly fond of the Tribunal, so I was hesitant to ask a favor. If it wasn't fond of my mother, I don't think that it would have gone after the spear at all," Sean said as Lucifer noticed that he looked uncomfortable. The boy was clearly hiding something. "So… how are your lessons going?"

Syd sighed and said with a small shrug, "Well, apparently lighting a candle is beyond me but scorching it is very much in my zone."

Sean laughed and complimented her, "Wow, you're impressive."

"I know, right?" Syd laughed too, which eased the tension in the room.

Lucifer felt a knot in the pit of his stomach. While he could see through any mirror in the bunker, he could only hear in the room where the enchanted mirror was placed. Most of Syd and Sean's interactions took place in the library where Lucifer could see them but not hear them, and Lucifer did not like Syd talking to that fairy boy in that friendly tone. The Winchesters were irritating enough, but Lucifer could handle their interactions with Syd mostly due to the fact that neither of them looked at Syd in the way this boy did. Even Syd's new interest in some guy called 'R-Patz' was less frustrating, if somewhat odd. Lucifer shifted his head and glared at the fairy. It was becoming more apparent that he needed to get Syd away from the boy pronto.

"What's wrong?" Sean asked, noticing an odd look on Syd's face. "You look like you've got something else on your mind."

"Well, James wants to find me a new teacher. Apparently my devastatingly destructive abilities are too much for him to handle safely," Syd admitted. "He's trying to find a 'natural witch' to teach me."

Lucifer's eyebrows shot up, and a smile appeared on his face. Now that was information that he could use. Maybe he could hire a witch to volunteer. However, the only natural witches he knew of were Rowena and Daniel. Neither of which were too fond of him at the moment, and the Winchesters would hardly approve of either. The demons probably knew someone, or they could likely find someone.

"My offer still stands," Sean replied hesitantly, drawing Lucifer's full attention. "Avalon and Oz are actually quite close to one another. It wouldn't be difficult to find you a teacher there."

Lucifer narrowed his eyes at the fairy. The boy was shaping up to be a much bigger obstacle than Lucifer had originally thought. Avalon wouldn't be impossible for Lucifer to invade, but they could make Syd just as hard to find both in person and in her dreams.

"No but thanks. James says that someone is interested, but he wants to go over it with the Winchesters first."

"Ah, okay then," Sean responded and brushed the hair out of his face. There was an odd tension in the room, and Syd glanced at Sean curiously. "Um," Sean said, at last breaking the awkward silence. "There is something that I need to discuss with you… The kelpie wanted something in exchange for the spear."

"What?"

"The kelpie wants to meet you. Mostly just out of curiosity. I know that I should have asked you first, but I didn't even expect to get an audience much less an agreement. And if you don't want to," Sean trailed off with a look of despair in his eyes.

"Would it be safe?" Syd asked cautiously.

"Yes. The kelpie promised its full protection, and it's quite powerful. As long as we don't stay there long, it shouldn't be dangerous."

Syd stood in thoughtful silence for a few moments before she replied, "Okay, but we need to talk it over with Sam and Dean first. They won't be easy to persuade, but it's better than having an invincible spear on the loose. And you owe me one."

Lucifer stepped away from the mirror and summoned the demons back.

"Find the leprechaun or spread the word that I have some information that he needs. And find out what witches are friendly with the Winchesters," Lucifer ordered his minions before they flew off to do his bidding. Truthfully, Lucifer was torn over this new information. Syd being out of the bunker was great news, but he had no idea about this 'kelpie.' Hopefully he had a friendly leprechaun to ask for help.


	8. Chapter 8

A loud scream reverberated through the air as Sam's silver tip bolt went through its shoulder; the wendigo's full attention was now fixed on Sam who took a few steps backwards. The wendigo became a blur as it rushed through the bushes at Sam but suddenly fell to the ground with another shriek. The bear trap had clamped around its foot. There was a burst of flames as Dean shot the creature with the flare gun, and it turned to ash.

"One down," Dean whispered to Sam.

Sam nodded. Luckily the wendigo that Sam and Dean had killed seemed to be the stronger one that Ben had described. Now they just had the less experienced one to gank. Sam pulled out the flashlight as Dean reloaded the flare gun and started to head into the mines. Wendigos were smart, and even though the other one was likely not as strong, it likely wouldn't fall for the same trick. Sam took a small breath before going into the mine behind Dean. They walked as stealthily as they could, hoping that the other one was out so they could save the hikers before destroying it.

The mines were dark and narrow, making it hard for Sam and Dean to maneuver the passageways. They heard a sound which made them go completely still, a small whimper. Sam held up the flashlight to hopefully blind the wendigo long enough for Dean to get it with the flare, but as they quickly turned the corner, they noticed that it was a woman tied up next to an unconscious man and what could only be a dead body. Sam used the flashlight to quickly look around the passageway. Nothing else was here, at least at the moment, so Sam quickly unchained the woman and the man. The woman cried and quietly thanked them.

"What happened to him?" Sam asked as the man began to moan but wake up.

"The more skeleton one was messing Gary's arm and watching him scream, and the other suddenly attacked," the woman whispered. "It hit the other creature too. They started shrieking at each other and left. I heard one outside. We need to hurry." The woman's face looked desperate and full of pain.

"Skeletor's a goner," Dean said in a low voice. "All we need to worry about is the other one. Is there more than one way out of here?"

"No," Gary spoke up slowly and in pain. "There was, but there was a collapse. We need to go… now."

Dean grabbed Gary and helped him to stand. The woman stood up and followed Sam as they began to go back the way they came. Suddenly they heard a low rumbling sound by the entrance. Sam ran ahead of the group with the crossbow pointed in front of him, but there was no monster in front of him, just a boulder where the cave opening used to be. Sam stopped in shock and just stared at the mess in front of him.

"What?" Dean asked in disbelief as he walked with the hikers.

"It blocked us in," Sam said trying to stop the panic from creeping into his voice.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean murmured as he set Gary down to rest. "Are you sure there's only one entrance?"

Gary spoke up stronger than he had before, "Locals warned us not to go into the mines. Apparently part of it collapsed a few years back. We can look around, but I doubt it. Besides it means that creature will have to move the boulder to get us."

"Yeah, but it will probably just find new prey and a new section of mines," Sam reasoned.

"So what? It's planning to just leave us here to starve?" Gary asked.

"We'll probably die of dehydration, or the air in here will kill us first," the woman said sounding scared but trying to maintain a level head. "That boulder is cutting off the supply of fresh air to the mine, and who knows what these old mines were for."

Dean had gone completely quiet, and Sam looked over to see what he was doing. Dean had his head down and was whispering under his breath. Sam took out his phone and wasn't surprised to see that there was no service. Praying for Castiel was probably their best hope at the moment. Sam took a few moments to shine the flashlight around the mine, and he noticed that there was a small side tunnel off to the right.

"Hey, Dean," Sam said as he flashed the light to the tunnel. "I'm going to check that out; you stay here with them and cover me."

Dean looked up at Sam and nodded, getting the flare gun ready.

Sam walked over to the side tunnel with his crossbow ready. The light from the flashlight illuminated the tunnel, and Sam followed it to a dead end.

"So much for that plan," Sam murmured to himself before noticing what was scattered around him. Personal effects littered the ground around him. Sam wondered how many of these were from the miners and how many were from the victims. As he shone the flashlight around the space around him, he saw something gleam from underneath an old jacket.

"You okay, Sammy?" Dean called out, sounding worried. "What's in there?"

"I'm good. It's a dead end, but there's… stuff here," Sam said as he bent down and moved the jacket. It was a pocket watch, not the kind of thing a miner would have, so it must have come from one of the wendigos' victims. Out of curiosity he dusted it off and noticed there was an engraving on the back, "Theodore MacLeod." Sam stood thunderstruck as he heard Dean call out again.

"What kind of stuff, Sam?"

"Wait," Sam said as he started to walk back out from the side tunnel. Without another word Sam walked over and handed Dean the watch. Dean gave him a confused look before he looked at where Sam was pointing the flashlight. He read the inscription and looked at Sam with wide eyes.

"Oh, crap, so Syd's uncle…" Dean trailed off as the hikers looked at Sam and Dean with curious glances.

"Yeah, he was probably one of the victims. This was under a jacket in the tunnel."

Sam and Dean stood in silence for a few moments before looking back at the boulder, and Sam silently prayed Castiel would make it in time.


	9. Chapter 9

Sean lay awake in the bed, staring at the ceiling. The kelpie would get the spear, and Syd had agreed to see the kelpie in exchange for the spear. Everything had fallen into place, so why did he feel so unnerved? A noise outside the door startled him, and he got out of bed. He opened the door to see Syd frantically going through one of the drawers near the Winchesters rooms.

"Hey, Syd. Everything alright?" Sean asked watching her grab a book from the drawer.

"Something's wrong. Sam and Dean aren't answering their phone, and… just I know something's wrong. It doesn't feel right," Syd explained helplessly as she flipped through the book.

Sean had never seen her this terrified before. Her eyes were wide, and she bit her lip as she seemingly found what she was looking for. She started to take off in another direction when he grabbed her arm gently but firmly.

"Syd. Look at me," Sean said calmly and looked into her eyes. "What happened? Did you have a dream or what? And what are you planning on doing with that spell book?"

Syd looked away but didn't pull away. She looked back at Sean, and he could see how distressed she was.

"No dream. I can just feel it. I know something bad happened, and I know that's not proof or even very convincing," Syd said quickly, and her eyes pleaded with Sean. "I'm going to summon Crowley. He should be able to get in contact with the Winchesters and prove me wrong… or right."

"Wait, that demon from before? Syd, demons only make deals for souls. There's no guarantee he'll help," Sean reasoned with her despite being nearly helpless to the heartbroken look on her face.

"He helped with Daniel without a price. He's at least allies with Sam and Dean. If anything, he'll help just to make sure he's not fighting Lucifer on his own."

"And how do you know he won't just decide to suck up to Lucifer? He's a demon, Syd. Lucifer is their creator."

"Cas told me that Crowley can be trusted against Lucifer. I believe in Cas."

"Why don't you just call for Castiel then?" Sean pleaded with Syd as he now blocked her with his body. As much as he didn't like the idea of Syd going to Cas for help, he didn't trust the demon.

"I tried, but… he's busy right now," Syd responded and pulled her arm away. "Either you can help me or get out of my way. But I'm summoning Crowley." Syd pushed past him and started walking to the storage room for supplies; Sean quickly ran after her.

"How about I go? I'll go check it out first. They could have just forgotten to charge their phones," Sean said and once again tried to body-block Syd.

"No!" Syd said and grabbed his arm. Her eyes looked misty as though she was desperately holding back tears. Sean could tell that she was frightened, and it broke his heart.

"Why not? Syd, speak to me. Tell me what's really going on."

Syd looked around nervously, likely to see if James and Portia were awake. The hallway was clear except for the two of them, so Syd quickly pulled him into the supply room and closed the door.

"My uncle went missing at the spot where they're investigating. They didn't tell me what they think it is, but I did some research. I think it's a wendigo."

Sean felt a chill go up his spine. He had heard cautionary tales of that creature; it was one of the few that his mother had warned him about. Although the wendigo preferred human flesh, it wouldn't turn down fairy flesh either. If it was a wendigo, then the Winchesters may really need some help.

"I can tell that you're tired," Syd said quickly. "And in that state a wendigo might hurt you too. Crowley's a strong demon. I just have to get him to see that helping the Winchesters is beneficial to him as well."

Sean didn't like it, but she was right. Flying to Scotland and back had taken a lot out of him, and he'd be no match for a wendigo in his condition. It would be wise for them to at least convince Crowley to check on the brothers.

"Okay, but I'm staying with you. We'll summon him in the dungeon. There's a demon seal there in case he acts up."

Syd smiled at Sean in relief and thanked him. As she began to grab the necessary ingredients, Sean helped her carry them. They quickly and quietly snuck down to the dungeon and began the spells. Syd completed the spell, and they waited.

"You can't reach the bastards either, eh?" A voice said from behind them. Crowley looked at Syd with something close to approval.

"They were on a hunt, and something's… wrong. I know that's a terrible explanation, but it's really all I've got."

"What were they hunting?"

"Never said but I think it's a wendigo. They're in Northern Michigan near someplace called 'Sugarloaf Mountain.' I have the hotel; they're staying at. I tried to call the room, but there was no answer," Syd explained, pleading with the demon.

"I'll check it out. See if they got themselves in a spot of trouble as usual," Crowley said as Syd handed him the address of the hotel.

"Please take me with you."

"What?" Crowley and Sean asked in unison.

"I can't explain it. I just know that I need to be there. I'll stay in the motel room, just in case they get there while you're out searching. Please," Syd pleaded and stared at the demon.

The demon sighed and answered, "Well it would be a pain if they did go back to the motel while I'm trying to find the idiots. I suppose you'll want to go as well?" Crowley looked at Sean with a measuring gaze.

"Yes," Sean answered sternly.

Crowley rolled his eyes and quipped, "All aboard the Dumbass Rescue Express." He snapped his fingers, and away they went.


	10. Chapter 10

Dean silently cursed the angels as he tried to pray once again for Cas. They probably were in the middle of a huge argument. His prayers might even be blocked by the other angels. He looked up to see Gary looking at the boulder in the way of their freedom. They had already tried moving it, but it was too heavy even for the four of them to roll out of the way. Sam had went back to investigating the area he had found. Dean knew that he was likely looking for more of Syd's uncle's things. The watch was now in Dean's hand as he looked at it. It didn't look damaged; in fact once it was cleaned Dean was sure it would look damn near brand new.

"So whose watch is that?" the woman asked him. "You said that it belonged to someone's uncle. Have people been disappearing and no one here reported it?"

"Well, wendigos hibernate for years. They usually take enough people to keep them well fed for a few years as well, and they can be inactive for about twenty or so years. Then they need to feed," Dean replied with some hesitation. While Dean didn't want to worry the woman, he saw no need to lie to her. "What's your name by the way? My name's Dean."

"Janet. So this thing has been here all this time and no one's known about it?"

"Well, someone likely knows something. They just either think it's fake, or everyone else thinks that they're crazy."

"Well, yeah," Janet said and crossed her arms. "I wouldn't believe this either if I hadn't been attacked. Our friends were out there." Janet gave Dean a questioning look.

"Aubrey and Ben are fine. They're actually the reason we're here," Dean informed them.

"I'm not surprised," Gary said evenly. "I don't think there's a creature crazy enough alive that would decide to hunt Aubrey."

"Gary!" Janet said in exasperation.

"What? Why do you think I invited them along? Ben's a giant, and Aubrey's got those crazy eyes. Between the two of them I assumed I'd be safe… although I didn't really think of the possibility of a monster."

Janet just shook her head and turned back to Dean. "So this is what you guys do? Go around hunting these… creatures?"

"And others," Dean replied simply and saw Sam walking back out of the tunnel. Since Sam had found the watch, he'd been mostly quiet. He was probably thinking the same thing as Dean: 'How were they going to tell Syd?' Dean looked at the pocket carefully as Sam went towards the place where they had found the hiker. Dean pressed the button, and the watch flipped open. The inside was covered in a thin layer of dirt. Dean brushed it off gently before shutting it.

Gary sat back down on the ground, obviously having given up on finding a way past the boulder. He turned to Dean and asked, "So what do you think it's doing? You think it just left us here to die?"

"Probably. Wendigos were human once, and they're clever. It could be just waiting for us to drop our guard, and then it could handle all four of us without much trouble."

The group sat in silence for a few minutes. Dean tried calling for Cas again, but he knew Cas likely was too busy or couldn't hear him for some reason. There was no reception and no way to call for back up. Dean had considered trying to summon Crowley, but they didn't have any of the materials for the spell to work.

"Hey, Dean!" Sam called as he walked back from the tunnel with an odd look on his face. "Come check this out."

Dean followed Sam down the tunnel, noticing that Janet and Gary eyed them warily but stayed by the entrance. Clearly they were more worried about getting out of the mine than curious about what Sam had found. Sam led Dean to the small area where they had found the hiker.

"Find something in here?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. Look at this."

There was another small tunnel that stopped abruptly giving making it look almost like a small room. The only thing in it was a small makeshift table with some things laying on top of it. A beer can, a few coins, and an old Polaroid picture were placed neatly on the table like some kind of offering.

"Oookay, Sam. What's up with this?"

"Remember how they said that one of the wendigos seemed more… human than the other?"

"Yeah, but the other one was probably older."

"Exactly, but it got me thinking. They said that the less monstrous wendigo hit the other one on accident when he hit Gary, but what if it was the other way around?"

"So the wendigo was… protecting Gary? That sounds a bit weird, Sam. Even for us."

"But look. Do you see the sides of the table?"

Dean took a closer look and noticed claw marks on the side of the table as though the wendigo had accidently tore through it when moving it.

"And look at the picture, Dean," Sam said more quietly.

Dean bent down and picked up the picture. It was a man holding a little girl on his shoulders; both were cheekily smiling for the picture. At the bottom written in ink was a simple phrase: 'Syd (4) and Teddy (26)'.

"Hey! Guys! There's someone outside!" Janet's voice rang down the tunnel as Dean quickly pocketed the picture and made his way back.

"Okay, idiots. Stay back," Crowley's drawling tone was muffled by the giant rock.

Suddenly the rock moved, and there was enough space for them to get out. The first thing that Dean saw when he got out was Crowley's smirking face.

"Miss me, boys?"


	11. Chapter 11

Feeling a little embarrassed from her earlier outburst, Syd hadn't talked much to Sean as they waited for Crowley to get back. She instead paced around the room while Sean watched from the bed.

"Hey, Syd. If you move around much more, you're going to burn a hole in the carpet," Sean said teasingly.

Syd could tell that he was trying to dispel some of the tension in the room, so she sat on the bed beside him. She sat in silence for a few minutes and took a few deep breaths.

"Sorry, Sean, for earlier. I just… The thought of losing Sam and Dean freaks me out. I'm not very good at handling that kind of pressure," Syd explained.

"Have you known them a long time? You're pretty attached to them, particularly Dean."

"Well, not really. It's kind of hard to explain."

"We have time. I promise not to judge," Sean promised quietly.

"I… don't really get along with my family. It's not like they're awful to me or anything. It's just… I kind of feel… distant, out of place. I've always kind of felt like I was 'the odd man out.' Now that my parents are divorced it just feels more that way. Like they've got their own new family now, and I don't really fit. It's not like they're distant to me though," Syd assured Sean after seeing the look on his face. "I just feel like Sam and Dean made a place for me with them, and… it's comfortable. And even though I'm kind of imposing on them, it doesn't really feel that way."

"Is that why you don't really like learning magic?" Sean asked frankly. "I can tell you're uncomfortable with it."

"Yeah, a bit. I just like the way things are right now, and I've seen how Sam and Dean treat James and Portia. I don't want to lose them or the place they gave me. In a figurative sense," Syd said sheepishly.

"Yeah, I understand," Sean replied and leaned back on the backboard of the bed. "I hope they're alright. That demon's strong, so he should be able to help them out of whatever mess they've gotten themselves into…"

Sean trailed off as a noise echoed from outside the motel. A child's cry could be heard as Syd turned to Sean. Sean put his finger to his lips, and they both went completely quiet. The doorknob to their room jiggled.

"Hey," Dean's voice came from outside.

Syd felt relieved for a moment, but then dread took over. The voice didn't sound right. Syd grabbed Sean's arm to keep him from going to the door. A knock echoed through the room, and they waited for 'Dean' to say something else.

"Hey!" the voice called out, louder this time, and a shiver went up Syd's spine. It wasn't Dean.

There was a small screeching sound from outside like a knife on a glass bottle; it was running its nails against the window. Syd slowly got up off the bed and looked around the room for a weapon. She grabbed the lamp from the nightstand as she could hear the glass breaking, slowly, deliberately. This thing was trying to scare them, and it was working. Suddenly the window ruptured, and Sean stepped in front of Syd. The creature rushed in through the window and slammed Sean into the wall. It was lanky and looked almost human but emaciated and more angular. It started close in on Sean when Syd threw the lamp.

Syd remembered that wendigos didn't like fire, so she focused her power on the lampshade as it landed. The light bulb exploded with a loud crack, and the resulting fire caused the wendigo to hiss and take a few steps back. That was when Syd saw the tattoo on its upper arm. The police department logo of her uncle's was faded but still there. As Syd took a closer look at the snarling creature, she noticed the underlying human features. Her grandmother had pictures of him all around her house; it was Syd's uncle.

"Uncle… Teddy?"

The creature looked taken aback for a few moments, and slowly its eyes started to look less feral, more human. It took another step back and cocked its head to the side, giving Syd a measuring glance.

"I'm Sydney. Remember?" Syd asked carefully, hoping to see even a glimmer of recognition.

"Syd… 'Syd Vicious,'" the creature's true voice sounded odd as though unused for a long time.

"Yeah," Syd said, holding back tears. That was her uncle's nickname for her after she'd gotten in trouble for attacking her elementary school's resident bully. The bully had been messing with one of the stray cats when Syd had decided to take a trash can to the boy's head. Her family had always told that story with exasperation, but her uncle had told it to his friends with pride.

The wendigo paused again and tried to talk again, but the words seemed to die in its throat. Finally it struggled to say a single word, "Al… pha. Alpha. Alpha."

"What?" Syd asked confused. She had heard that term before in reference to monsters. It usually meant the original monster, and the original was often many times stronger than its creations. But she had never heard of an 'Alpha wendigo' before.

Teddy took a step toward her; his eyes were pleading for her to understand. An arrow shot through the air and hit Teddy in the chest. He let out a loud furious scream, and whatever humanity he'd had was lost as he charged through the window at his attacker. There was a loud bang as a flare hit him in the chest, and he exploded into dust. Dean and Sam came in through the door.

"You guys alright?" Dean asked and saw Sean trying to stand back up.

"No," Sean replied stubbornly, and Dean rolled his eyes.

"Happy to see you too."


	12. Chapter 12

Sam woke up and stretched. As he looked over to the bed beside him expecting to see Dean, he looked over to see Syd on the laptop. Sam had momentarily forgotten about last night's, or more accurately this early morning's, agreement. Dean had managed to get the hotel staff to not only get them a new room but a second one as well due to the 'late night intruder.' Sean, Dean, and Crowley had argued over the sleeping arrangements before Syd told them that she didn't care who slept where and that she was going to bed. After that Sam had talked Sean and Dean into sharing a room, and Crowley decided to get his own room. Crowley had left without much complaining, oddly enough, but he had given Sam a warning glance before he left.

Sam had gone into the room to find Syd already asleep or at least pretending to be. Before Sean had gone to bed last night, he'd told Sam and Dean what Sam had suspected back in the mine that the second wendigo was Syd's missing uncle. Dean had taken it particularly hard, since he'd been the one to fire the killing blow. Sam wondered if Syd blamed them for what had happened to her uncle as he watched her stare at the computer screen.

"Alpha wendigo," Syd said startling Sam.

"Um, what?" Sam asked confused. Sam and Dean had dealt with Alphas before, but he'd never even heard of an 'Alpha wendigo.'

"The last thing that he said to me was 'Alpha,' and he was pretty frantic about it as though he knew something was coming," Syd explained still scanning down the web page.

"Have you found out anything about it?" Sam asked and moved to sit beside her.

"Well, it's supposed to live in Northern Canada, but from my uncle's tone I don't think it stays there year round. Also it looks a bit different from the normal wendigo if this source is to be believed," Syd said and yawned. She handed him the laptop, so he could get a closer look.

The picture someone had drawn of this thing was pretty terrifying if it was true. The Alpha wendigo seemed to be covered in a white dense fur with antlers protruding from its head and a mouth full of fangs. Then he noticed the human drawn in the corner of the drawing.

"It's supposed to be about thirty feet tall," Syd explained at Sam's look of confusion.

There was a knock on the door, and Sam got up to open it. Dean was standing there with Sean and Crowley arguing behind him. Dean's tired expression told Sam all he needed to know about Dean's morning.

"Please let me in. I brought food," Dean said and held up a bag of food.

"You may enter," Syd said while once again scrolling on the computer.

"What are you two looking at this early in the morning?" Dean asked with a raised eyebrow, and Sean and Crowley instantly whirled around to face Sam.

"Syd's uncle said something about an Alpha, so Syd's been looking up information on an 'Alpha wendigo,'" Sam explained quickly and gave Dean a dirty look.

"Never heard that one," Dean said thoughtfully as he walked inside the room. "How about either of you?" Dean looked to Sean and Crowley as they followed in behind him. Sean shook his head, but Crowley looked thoughtful.

"Yes, I've never seen it though. It usually stays in Canada, so it's not really my problem. I did hear of it coming here about twenty years ago, but it didn't stay long," Crowley said, and Dean glared at him.

"And you never thought to say anything about that," Dean snapped.

"Well, I didn't think it was particularly relevant. I did try to find it back when Cas and I were trying to open Purgatory, but it was far too powerful for my people to bring back. Killed quite a few of them actually, which is why we should go."

"No," Syd said calmly but firmly. "It says here that the wendigo can infect anyone into a wendigo without them even needing to eat human flesh."

"All the more reason to bolt," Crowley reasoned. "At least until we can get a certain winged bastard to help out. Where is he anyway?"

"Here," Cas said as he stepped out from behind Dean. "Sorry, Dean. I tried to come as quickly as I could."

"Oh, good. You're here, so Syd can go back to the bunker. And I can go back to figuring out how we're going to stuff Lucifer back into the cage."

At that, Cas got a serious look on his face but said nothing. He turned to see Syd on the bed with the laptop and gave Sam and Dean a confused look.

"I'm part of the recon team, Cas," Syd said still somewhat sleepily.

"Okay, sure you are. What's going on?"

"Wendigos," Dean explained. "And now there's apparently an Alpha wendigo."

"And we should kill it with fire. That's my guess anyway. Maybe holy fire," Syd continued as she scrolled down the page.

"We?" Dean asked incredulously. "No. You need to get back to the bunker before demons or angels or even monsters find you."

Syd looked up at him from the laptop. Her eyes focused on Dean in a glare, and she said evenly, "No, Dean. I just watched my uncle become ash likely due to this thing, and I want to see it dead. We can place some wards here, but I am not leaving." Syd spoke in a harsh tone with anger burning in her eyes.

"Syd, I'm so—!" Dean started to apologize when Syd threw a pillow at him.

"Don't apologize, you dunce! What were we supposed to do? Let him go free and hope his remaining humanity would keep him from eating people, or by some miracle catch him and watch him… deteriorate. No, you did what needed to be done, so now you need to let me do what I need to do. Plus ask James. I'm really good with fire. Oh, crap. Whoops. No one told him we were leaving. Someone really should call James."


	13. Chapter 13

The leprechaun Wayne had showed up not too long after the demons spread the word of Lucifer having information. Lucifer smiled at him as he walked up to the throne. Wayne looked tired and slightly disheveled but walked quickly and with purpose.

"Your people said that you have some information for me," Wayne said quickly.

"Yes, I have some information regarding a spear," Lucifer said and watched Wayne's reaction. Wayne's eyes went a little wider before he settled down.

"That should be out of the fairy child's grasp. Our kind, and especially his, has a weakness to salt, and I tossed it far enough into the ocean where he shouldn't be able to reach it," Wayne explained.

"That can only be so true. After all, I heard that a kelpie offered to help him retrieve it. It seems to be a pretty powerful one though."

Lucifer watched as the leprechaun's face turned pale. Wayne seemed to be deeply calculating his next move at the moment.

"So it's true?" Lucifer asked. "There is a kelpie with the power to retrieve the spear. Just how powerful is this kelpie?"

"If it's the one I think, it is, then it has the strength to rival Oberon. It was once the king of the Unseelie Court of Fairies. I don't know why it would assist Oberon, or that fairy boy. Oberon is the kelpie's mortal enemy and the very reason it left Avalon."

Lucifer thought about it for a moment. If that was true, then the kelpie may indeed have enough power to protect Syd from Lucifer, which was not good for Lucifer. Hearing that Syd would leave the bunker had gotten him excited, but it meant nothing if Lucifer still couldn't get to her. Truth be told, he had begun to get impatient with his plan to slowly win over her trust. It just wasn't enough.

"I don't know much about your kind, but I assumed that the Unseelie Court was the one that hated humans. Why would this kelpie promise to give away a fairy object and protect a human just to meet her?" Lucifer asked, suspicious of this new fairy.

"Yes, but as a ruler the kelpie was actually rather benevolent towards the humans. I suppose that's why his people agreed to side with the Tribunal in the end."

"Where is this fairy? Does it live in this world?"

"Yes, the humans call it the Loch Ness Monster after the lake in which it resides. It likes to play the occasional trick on the tourists, but otherwise it causes no trouble. This does make my plans rather more difficult."

"So what was the point of tossing away the spear? To spite your fairy king? Perhaps you should have kept it and dethroned him yourself."

"No, I was ordered to do that by my true ruler. Everyone else on the Tribunal rejected me after my scheme was overthrown by those Winchesters. She was the only one who could see that what I was doing was for our land's greater good."

Lucifer didn't care about all of that. His demons had told him more about the leprechaun, and Lucifer didn't particularly care about the firstborn sons that Wayne had stolen. All Lucifer could focus on at the moment was obtaining Syd. And her meeting with this kelpie may give him an opportunity to do just that. He likely couldn't fight the kelpie on even footing at the kelpie's lake, at least not without some magical assistance.

"I'll help you get the spear if you help me find a way to beat the kelpie or even just momentarily stun it."

"Why does the kelpie matter so much to you?"

"Oh, he doesn't, but the one he offered to protect does. Syd agreed to meet the kelpie for the spear, but as long as you help me, I'll make sure that you get the spear."

"I do know of an object that can incapacitate any fairy within a certain radius for a few minutes, but you would have to use an incredibly powerful spell to break the kelpie's barriers first," Wayne said and straightened his clothes.

A powerful barrier breaking spell, Lucifer thought as he paced around the throne room, then he remembered that he did know a spell like that. It wasn't enough to break the bunker's defenses, but it could break the kelpie's. A wicked smile blossomed onto Lucifer's face as he realized that all he need now was the fairy object and the time of Syd's meeting with the kelpie.

"I'll take it, and in return I'll give you the spear."

"No," Wayne said abruptly.

"What!" Lucifer said angrily. The Leprechaun was acting suspiciously, as though in a hurry to be somewhere else.

"You can still have what you need, but if they have the spear, it may distract them for a while. Plus hopefully the Gancanagh will leave to deliver it to Oberon. The spear is cursed, and even if it's in Oberon's hands, it won't help him."

Lucifer cheered back up as the leprechaun left and brought him a staff. All he had to do was get close enough, and it would knock out every fairy within a distance of 100 meters, which sounded good to Lucifer. Hopefully, he could knock out that fairy boy as well. Syd would be angry enough as is. Lucifer didn't want to have to kill the fairy and risk her hatred.

"Apologies. I was in the middle of… something," Wayne said and seemed to cringe under Lucifer's questioning look. "I am… trying to find something to repair the mirror… a book of spells. My benefactor will want the mirror at its full capacity when I return it."

Lucifer dismissed him with a wave of his hand while inspecting the staff with a satisfied smile. Now all Lucifer had to do was wait for the opportunity. As the leprechaun left, it was all Lucifer could do to hide his excitement. He picked up the staff with pure glee. The Winchesters wouldn't even see it coming. He decided to check the bunker to see if the Winchesters had returned yet and walked up to the mirror. Sean's room was quiet. In fact he couldn't find Syd in any of the usual places. Lucifer got more frantic as he noticed that Syd and the fairy boy were nowhere to be found. Was Lucifer already too late?


	14. Chapter 14

Dean watched Sean and Sam get into the car and leave. Crowley had found a charm that would keep the creature from turning them into wendigos, so Sean and Sam left to get ingredients while Dean stayed with Syd. Dean was still feeling awful about what had happened with Syd's uncle, and he could feel the weight of the watch in his pocket. He just couldn't find the right words to say.

Crowley came out of Syd's room with a smile. Syd refused to go back to the bunker, so Crowley had had decided to show Syd how to put a ward around the room that would repel any intruders. Crowley saw Dean and sauntered over to him.

"The ward should hold for at least the next couple of days. Plus I put some hex bags in the room just in case," Crowley informed Dean with a wicked grin.

"Good. What's up with you?"

"What do you mean by that?" Crowley asked with narrowed eyes.

"You just seemed really happy, which is kind of unusual for you."

"Ha ha. Only when I'm dealing with you," Crowley snapped back with a smirk. "Syd thanked me. It feels good to be appreciated every once in a while. I've heard some reports about some bad weather north of here. I'm going to see if it's our Alpha or just Mother Nature." Crowley disappeared before Dean could respond.

Dean looked towards Syd's room and scratched the back of his neck; now it was just the two of them. Sighing, Dean walked towards Syd's room. He should at least give her the pocket watch and the picture before things got too out of hand. The door opened as he approached it, and Syd looked up at him surprised.

"Hey, did everyone leave already?"

"Yeah, Crowley's checking something out, and Sam and Sean went for supplies."

"Oh good… could you come inside for a couple minutes? There's something I want to talk to you about," Syd said hesitantly.

"Yeah, sure," Dean assured her, but he felt nervous.

Shutting the door behind him, he entered the room. Syd sat on one of the beds playing with her hands, and Dean decided to sit on the other to face her. He could feel the watch in his pocket but once again was having trouble deciding what to say.

"I'm not very good at saying this sort of thing, so if you could just listen, that'd be great. My uncle… I don't blame you for that. Even though he remembered me for a second… who knows if he would have snapped me in half the next? What I mean to say is…" Syd paused and brushed the hair out of her face which was now flushed red. "My uncle's nickname for me was 'Syd Vicious' because one day at school I snapped and beat another kid with a trash can. This kid had been bullying me for a while. Putting gum in my hair, calling me names, and even tripping me at recess… But I just went along with it because I didn't want to cause trouble for anyone else. My uncle saw the bruises, and when he asked me about them, I told him that I'd fallen. He didn't believe me, but he didn't confront me either. The next day we were at recess and I saw him messing with one of the stray cats that lived nearby, and I… yeah."

"Hulked out of him?" Dean asked with a smile.

Syd laughed and replied, "Pretty much. I remember being sent home early, and my uncle picked me up. I remember feeling ashamed and scared of what my parents would say, but Teddy only asked me one thing: 'Was it the right thing to do?' Luckily one of teacher's aides had seen what was going on and took my side later, but that's a whole 'nother story. What's important is that you trust me like I trust you and Sam. You guys are like family to me, but you have to accept that I have the right to be occasionally stupid too."

Dean laughed at that and said, "Okay. Don't worry, Syd. I get it."

"I don't think you do, Dean," Syd said sadly and tilted her head. "I'm not saying this to 'get along' or even because you need it. I'm saying it because it's the truth. And thank you for saving my life and Sean's life and probably even Sam's life. You're not a super hero, Dean, and even they can't always save everyone. And I don't need you to. You're like a brother to me. You annoy me, steal my stuff, fight me for little to no reason, order me about, and… for some strange reason, I couldn't be happier. I'm going to give you a hug now… because this needs an additional layer of sappy."

Syd put her arms around Dean in a hug, and he returned it with a small laugh.

"No chick flick moments, Syd."

"We'll have as many chick flick moments as I want. Dammit."

Syd and Dean started laughing and pulled apart in time for Cas to come into the room.

"The Alpha wendigo appears to be headed this way. I have the holy oil ready… What's going on here?" Cas asked warily sensing tension in the room.

"Just a chick flick moment. Don't worry about it too much, Cas," Syd explained, and Cas nodded although he didn't appear to fully comprehend it.

"How far away is it?"

"It's not how far away it is, but how fast it's going," Crowley said startling Dean. "It's headed toward the mine that almost became your grave. As soon as Sam and the fairy get back, you need to start the charms and head over if you want to catch him. I suspect he's running to something rather than away from it. He's thirty feet tall. I doubt there's much that scares him."


	15. Chapter 15

Sean and Sam got back to the hotel, having already started the initial parts of the spell they needed, and it didn't take long for them to finish the rest of the charm. Sam had gotten enough for everyone, even Sean, Cas, and Crowley. He had told Sean that didn't know if fairies or vessels could become wendigos, but he didn't plan on finding out anytime soon. Sean agreed although he assumed that Castiel and Crowley would be fine.

Dean and Syd were currently arguing on what her role would be in all of this madness. Dean was insisting that she stay at the motel, but Syd insisted that she could be more useful actually fighting since she had the ability to set things ablaze. Sean felt torn about it. He'd much prefer that Syd stay at the motel due to it being safer, but he also thought her abilities would come in handy. Crowley volunteered to stay with Syd, which didn't surprise Sean at all. Demons weren't known for running into danger for the sake of someone else.

"Syd, remember what we said about trust," Dean said almost pleadingly. "Right now I need for you to trust me. Even though you're powerful, you're still untrained. Besides we've done this sort of thing most of our lives, Syd. Have a little faith."

Syd muttered something about giving them a little time before she said, "If I sense that something is really off, I'm going to find you, and there's no power in heaven or hell that can stop me."

"I don't doubt that," Dean replied cheekily, and Syd tossed a pillow at him. "What about you, Sean? You coming with us or spending quality time with Syd and Crowley?"

Sean thought about it for a moment. He didn't trust the demon, but Syd seemed to be okay with him. Plus Sam and Dean had done a lot for him, and he felt like they could use his help.

"I'll go with you guys," Sean replied finally.

"Okay, Syd, Crowley, you hold down the fort. Let's go, guys," Dean said as he led the way out to the car.

Sean waved goodbye to Syd and followed Dean outside. Syd looked anything but happy at the arrangement, but she still waved to them as they left. Cas decided to save his energy and go with them by car, so he sat in the back next to Sean. The angel didn't seem to notice Sean's dislike of him or perhaps he didn't care. Castiel spent a lot of the time in the bunker with Syd and Dean, and Sean couldn't tell what his intentions were.

Sean looked away as Cas looked at him curiously. Instead Sean focused on their plan of attack. Sean could fly overhead and pour holy oil on the behemoth, while Castiel, Sam, and Dean fought off the wendigos that he had created on the way. Even in daylight they'd be hard to handle due to their speed. Sean just hoped that they hadn't changed too much.

The sky was cloudy as Dean pulled into the parking lot near the camping ground. As Sean got out of the car, he noticed that there was a strange stench in the air. That must be the Alpha wendigo. Sam got out bear traps and started placing them in the bushes nearby. Sean made a mental note to stay far away from the bushes as he moved forward with the holy oil. There was a ledge that could be useful if he needed it, but he doubted that he would use it. As he watched Dean draw a protection circle with Anasazi sigils, he checked around to make sure that there weren't any waiting around. For such a large beast, the Alpha was actually deadly silent. Sean barely made it out in time to avoid its claws.

"Hey, guys! It's here!" Sean called out and avoided another swing of its claws.

Soon he realized that there were about ten wendigos that leaped from the darkness. Sean barely avoided a tackle from one of them and threw another into a tree. Both soon recovered and went for him again. They were trying to corner him, so the Alpha could land a hit on him. He would have just killed the wendigos if it wasn't for the fact that they still looked mostly human. Sean wondered what would happen to them if they managed to kill the Alpha. Would they disappear into ash as well? Or would they be cured or stuck in that form forever? Fortunately the swiftness of his enemies didn't leave him with much time to think about that.

Another wendigo had sneaked up from behind him, and its claws nicked Sean's side before a silver bolt struck it in the chest. Sean thanked Sam, whom had decided to stay in the protective circle where he could aim without having to fight off the wendigos. One of the newly turned got too close to Sean, he quickly muttered a fire spell to scare the creature away. Unfortunately it did more than that as the creature caught fire and disappeared. The Alpha let out a horrifying screech before it swatted at Sean.

Sean didn't know how much longer he could keep up these evasive maneuvers and still fly. As he reached to get the holy oil, he realized that it was gone. One of the wendigos must have moved it while he was distracted. Sean cursed under his breath as he avoided another blow from the Alpha. It was toying with them, Sean realized. Cas was destroying any that he could get his angelic hands on, but they were giving him a wide berth and instead going for Dean, who was having a hard time defending himself from the onslaught. Sean dodged another blow from the Alpha and tried to figure out how to take it down before it decided its little game wasn't fun anymore.


	16. Chapter 16

Syd could feel it again as she paced around the room. Something wasn't right. It hadn't been more than an hour since they had left, but Syd couldn't stay still. Crowley was clearly annoyed by her fidgeting but seemed to be trying to calm her down.

"It hasn't been that long, darling. Have a seat. The Winchesters are harder to kill than you think, believe me," Crowley said wearily.

Syd tried to sit down at the table, but soon she started to fidget again. She didn't know how, but she knew something had gone wrong.

"So, Sydney, you've been receiving magic lessons. How have those been going?" Crowley asked her, clearly trying to distract her.

"Okay. James is a good teacher and is very patient. Although he's looking for a replacement, a natural witch is what he said. Apparently my powers are more destructive than most," Syd replied and looked outside. The weather had taken a turn for the worse, and now the wind was picking up. It must be the effect of the Alpha wendigo.

"A natural witch? Stay away from one called Rowena. She's nothing but trouble," Crowley advised bitterly.

"Huh? How do you know her?"

"Let's just say we have history. Not like that," Crowley snapped at the suggestive look on Syd's face. She had been trying to lighten the mood, and she wondered if Crowley and Rowena were related or something. "Does he have anyone in mind?"

"Yeah. But he wants to ask Sam and Dean first. Apparently he knows them."

"That's not often a good sign," Crowley said bitterly. "The Winchesters are known for having a body, although not so much for witches."

"Really? Well, I guess that's good for me as well."

"Darling, I don't think those two could ever hurt you at least not willingly. They have a habit of losing their charges."

Syd stood up again. The impulse was getting stronger, and she paced around the room once again. She tried to reason with herself that Sam and Dean were professionals and that they did this all the time, but everything in her screamed that they were in trouble. Syd closed her eyes and took a deep breath to try and keep calm. She felt something odd as she did. Magic coursed through her, and she pictures Sam and Dean her entire body jerked, and she felt like she was falling. She opened her eyes as she hit the ground.

The motel room was nowhere in sight. Syd was in a large wooded area and stood there for a few moments in stunned silence. There was a strange sound, and she spun around to see a man coming toward her from the bushes. The first thing Syd noticed was how tall and lanky he was, but as he slinked closer Syd could tell something was off and noticed his hands were claw like. As Syd met his eyes, she knew what he was: a wendigo or the beginning stage of one. Its eyes narrowed in on her as it crept closer, and Syd tried to figure out what to do. Suddenly the wendigo was thrown backwards.

Syd turned to see her uncle. At first she assumed that she was hallucinating, and his body glowed, almost translucent in the starlight. The wendigo had run away, which she reasoned was because he was very much real, and her uncle beckoned her up a ledge. He disappeared as Syd got closer to where he had been standing. There was a canister of holy oil at the top. While Syd's mind screamed that this could be a trap, she somehow knew that it wasn't. As she climbed up the hill, she could see Sam and Dean fighting for their lives. Sean was fighting too, and his side was dark with blood. The wendigos were avoiding Castiel, and he looked tired. The Alpha wendigo hadn't noticed her, but its torso was level with the ledge Syd was on. He was too far away for her to throw the oil on him, even from the edge, but maybe not if Syd used her powers. She focused on the oil hitting the Alpha. The canister briefly levitated out of her hands before taking off and hitting the Alpha square on the head. Now Syd had the Alpha's full attention. She concentrated as it crept closer with a wicked grin full of teeth. It was just a giant candle, Syd told herself. It was just a giant candle with teeth. Syd called up what power she had left and thrust it at the creature in the form of fire. The fire ignited the fuel, and the Alpha screeched as it burned. The other wendigos started to screech as well and rolled on the ground as they too became dust.

Syd climbed down the ledge as Crowley appeared behind her looking thoroughly irritated, but he helped her climb down to join the others. Sean collapsed on a tree as Syd took off her outer sweater to bandage his side. Sam and Dean soon rushed forward too.

"Thanks, Syd," Sam said tiredly. "How did you know?"

Syd shrugged and responded, "Just did."

Cas walked over and healed Sean. Afterwards Cas turned his attention to Syd and said, "You flew, didn't you?"

"To be entirely truthful, Cas, I don't know what I did, but I'm going to go over there and possibly throw up. Don't disturb me," Syd responded as she walked out behind some trees. Flying was definitely preferable when she wasn't the one in control.


	17. Chapter 17

Sam put the last of the traps in the trunk of the car and shut the trunk. Dean and Sean were already in the car. Cas had taken Syd home, and Crowley had decided that he'd had enough excitement for a while and left. Syd had gotten really sick after flying here to save them, and Sam was incredibly grateful but also worried. Cas had said that it was likely a side effect of having Lucifer's grace. Did that mean his grace was becoming more ingrained inside of Syd? If so, they needed to find a way to separate it soon.

Sam slid inside the car, and Dean started the engine. They quickly drove out of the parking lot and were back on the road. Dean turned on some Metallica as they drove away, and they drove the first few hours in silence, listening to the radio and grateful to be alive. They stopped at a pit stop to grab something to eat while Dean called to check on Syd.

"How is she?" Sam asked as he handed Dean a burger.

"Better. But Cas says she's been asleep since they got to the bunker. He's going to let her rest for now."

"That's a good idea," Sam replied. "I don't think she slept much the night before."

Sean got into the car, and they took off. This time Sean started talking before Dean turned on the radio.

"I got in contact with a powerful kelpie. It agreed to give me the spear on the condition that it gets to meet Syd," Sean said warily.

Sam gave Dean a brief glance. Dean didn't look happy with that arrangement.

"Why would it care about Syd?" Dean asked heatedly.

"Well, Syd is something of an… anomaly. The more powerful of our kind are curious. The kelpie is incredibly strong, so the wards protecting its home should be enough to hold Lucifer back. And that's if he somehow found out, which I doubt. The only people I've discussed this with are you two and Syd," Sean assured them carefully.

"What did Syd say?" Sam asked.

"She said that she doesn't mind, but that we should ask you two first."

Dean scoffed, "I doubt that. Syd decides what she wants to do."

"Not really," Sean responded. "It's really only when you two are in trouble, which is actually pretty frequently."

"Ha ha," Dean replied with a straight face. "So you think this kelpie is strong enough to keep an archangel at bay?"

"Well, the leprechaun once said that he could snatch my soul from the cage and grip of said archangel, remember, Dean? Is that true, Sean?" Sam asked with curiosity.

"I think so. The leprechauns are good at two things: trickery and opening what they call 'back doors.' And yes, the kelpie could take on Lucifer without getting significant damage. The kelpie was once a king. Now it lives in the Loch Ness. Humans kind of worship it there."

"Wait! This kelpie is the friggin' Loch Ness Monster?!" Dean asked incredulously.

"That's what you humans call it."

"So you're saying that the reason people can't find it is because it's a magical creature with wards around the lake. How does it hide from sonar?" Sam asked, glancing at Sean.

"Well, I don't know it very well personally, but it is a shape-shifter. I assume that it just turns into a sturgeon or an otter when it sees people getting nosy."

The brothers sat in stunned silence. It did make sense. Scotland was known for having its share of magical entities even though England boasted that the Men of Letters took care of their creatures. Although, Sam doubted that even they could restrain a beast that powerful.

"I'd be okay with it as long as Syd is. It's really her decision to make," Sam replied.

Sean looked to Dean for his input.

Dean sighed before he answered, "I don't like it, but I agree with Sam. Just… keep her safe. If that kelpie's up to no good…"

"I'll protect her with my life. The kelpie isn't a threat though. It's mostly just curious."

Dean nodded and looked at Sean in the mirror. "I do have one question for you, Sean: Do you like Syd?"

Sean had been taking a sip of water and started choking. "What? Why?"

"Dean," Sam muttered, but he was curious too. Sam had actually assumed that Sean had a crush on her for some time.

"What? Oh, come on, Sam. You wanna know too."

"Yeah, I like her," Sean muttered from the back seat, and Sam noticed that his ears had turned red. "What of it?"

"Well, when exactly are you planning on telling her? So far you only have one rival, and he's already confessed to Syd. You're a bit behind, buddy," Dean joked.

"Yeah, but Syd seems more embarrassed by Lucifer's confession than anything," Sam pointed out.

"Could we please talk about anything else? Please?" Sean murmured and his cheeks had begun to glow red.

Dean and Sam exchanged a smirk and turned back on the music to Sean's relief.


	18. Chapter 18

Demons were stationed up the coast of the Loch Ness. Their main job was to be on the lookout for Syd if Lucifer couldn't find her. It was a large body of water, so he had them up and down the coast. They couldn't get too close or they'd be spotted, and Lucifer's plan would go up in flames. The fairy boy had gotten word of the kelpie finding the spear the other day. Syd had still been sick from whatever had happened while she was away, but she looked much better now. Lucifer wanted everything in position for when she showed up. All of the ingredients for the spell had been gathered, and now all he had to do was wait for them to come. That was easier said than done.

A strange energy ran through his body at the thought of having Syd at last. He'd have to act quickly though. After he cast the spell, the kelpie would immediately know. Luckily Lucifer had the staff, so dealing with the kelpie would be quick. Lucifer would prefer to knock out the boy as well, more so that he wouldn't be tempted to kill him. Syd wouldn't be happy with Lucifer if he killed the boy. And she was already going to be angry.

Lucifer closed his eyes and breathed in the fresh lake air. Waiting was excruciatingly painful at the moment. He was so close. Lucifer opened his eyes and walked around the lake, careful not to get too close. He had no idea how well the kelpie could sense him and preferred to keep his distance. Lucifer heard a sound that was like music to his ears; Syd's laugh rang out from near the lake. Lucifer looked towards her. Syd was next to the fairy boy by the lakes edge. An otter had crawled up from the water, and Syd talked to it enthusiastically. Soon she had bent down and was petting it with a smile. Lucifer's heart lurched, and he almost stopped breathing.

Quickly, he threw together the ingredients for the spell and watched as the spell took effect, and the otter looked on guard. Lucifer picked up the staff and flew closer to the water.

"Leave, children!" the otter bellowed in a deep voice, and Lucifer smiled.

The fairy boy had started to grab Syd's arm, but Lucifer swatted him away easily. The otter quickly changed form into a sea serpent and charged Lucifer, but Lucifer held up the staff and released its energy. The kelpie slammed into the ground beside him, and Lucifer saw Syd rushing toward the fairy boy. He held up his hand, and she bounced off of an invisible wall. He caught her before she hit the ground.

"Let me go!" Syd yelled and stared him down angrily.

Lucifer saw that the boy was trying to stand and considered just getting rid of the problem early. He put one of his arms around Syd's waist and outstretched his other hand. Syd must have sensed that something was off because she grabbed his arm.

"No! Stop!" Syd pleaded and looked into his eyes.

Electricity seemed to flood through Lucifer where her skin touched his, and he used his other hand to pull her closer. The fairy had stood up and tried to use magic against Lucifer, but Lucifer simply brushed it off. The bravery of the boy was admirable but irritating. Pushing him back down into the dirt made Lucifer feel a little better.

"Let's go somewhere a little more private, shall we?" Lucifer whispered into Syd's ear before whisking her away to his throne room. "There. This is better, isn't it?"

"Not really," Syd spoke up with venom in her voice.

"Oh, come on, Syd. Don't be so sour. We haven't been this close in such a long time." Lucifer had pulled her into an embrace. "You don't know what you do to me, Syd."

Syd scoffed and tried to push him away, but he was far too powerful for her to move. He waited for her to stop trying to push him away then he let her go. Lucifer sat on his throne and watched her look at him with suspicion before bolting out the throne room door. Lucifer waited for a few moments before standing and following behind her. He found her standing by a window, looking out in horror. The fires of hell surrounded the castle making it impossible for a human to escape.

"I'm in Hell? This is Hell?" Syd asked no one in particular.

"Yes," Lucifer whispered from behind her, causing her to jump and turn her back to the window.

"You agreed to work together!" Syd yelled as she searched for another way out.

"Only on separating your soul from my grace, and that could take some serious time, you know," Lucifer said and took a step towards her.

She took another step back and hit the window, and Lucifer used the distraction to wrap his arms around her once more.

"Careful now."

"Let me go, Lucifer!"

"As you wish," Lucifer said and let go of her. "It's not like you really have anywhere to go, but I do want you to feel comfortable here. After all, it is your new home."


End file.
